The present invention relates to a selectively detachable face mask for a protective helmet to be worn while welding or, in another embodiment, a face shield useful for welding. Specifically, the present invention comprises a face covering component which is selectively securable to and detachable from a head covering helmet. The hand-held face protective component allows the user to quickly weld with the unit held by hand, not as a component of a helmet on the head, in front of the face (for protection) and then allows the user to easily and quickly move the protective component aside so that the user can see the progress of the weld without the mask being flipped up for viewing when a helmet is used. Also, the detachable and securable to a helmet, face mask, hand held by the welder, is provided with a V-shaped, forwardly directed groove or vertical trough which is adapted to hold the welding torch's supply line so that the welding operation is still simple even though the welder is using one hand to hold the mask (unlike the conventional welding mask which is on a helmet secured to the head and flips up, by hand, and down by either hand or a head-jerking motion).
Welding is a process of joining metals, often the same metal, sometimes different metals. Welding is accomplished by heating the metal to a high temperature so that the edges thereof sought to be joined become pliable and then holding them (sometimes under pressure) together during cooling. Welding is often done by melting the work pieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material (the weld pool) so that when it cools a strong joint results. Often pressure is used in conjunction with heat to produce the weld. This is in contrast with soldering and brazing which involve melting a lower-melting-point material between the work pieces to form a bond between them, without melting the work pieces. Often a flux material is used to facilitate the joining of the work pieces, the formation of a weld and the ultimate strength of the new joint. The welding process, in essence, employs a torch, powered by a gas, which can produce a very high temperature flame for heating the metallic work pieces and the material used for the weld, whether the same material, a flux material or a different material. After they become attached, after the temperature of the separate pieces are raised to the molten/pliable range, the pressure of one piece to the other and then the consequent cooling causes the edges to cool and a secure and strong joint is formed between the work pieces. To accomplish the melting process of the metals and to raise the temperature of the materials to the molten level, users employ blowtorches, laser beams, or other oxy-acetylene torches and welding tools which are adapted to provide a source of high temperatures—those required for formation of welded joints in metals.
Because of the risk to the eyes, of burns and other injuries which could occur during use of those high temperature sources, the oxidation of flux, the arc of welding, etc., safety precautions are often taken to protect the hands, clothes, and especially the face and eyes of the welders. These protective devices include the use of heavy leather gloves, protective long sleeves to avoid direct exposure to the skin, and goggles or welding helmets to protect the head, face and eyes from burns, bright light, and/or ultraviolet light and the spark of the arc of welding.
Welding helmets are commonplace and often used. These often comprise a see-through protective glass-like face plate which protects the eyes from UV rays and allows the welder to see the welding and the joint, during the process. Yet, to see the joint clearly, the welder often needs to remove the protective face mask. The conventional face masks and helmets are integrated and the face mask hinged so that it covers the face during welding but can be manually and quickly hand flipped upwardly for viewing the weld. Then, if additional welding is required, the face mask can be manually flipped back down, into the face and eye protecting position, or, more experienced welders can quickly jerk or nod their head to cause the face mask to flip from the up position to the face protecting position. Each time the welder desires to clearly and closely view the weld joint, however, the welder must manually flip the face mask upwardly and each time the welder desires to continue to weld a joint, the face mask must be flipped downwardly, manually or by the jerking of the head. This can be tedious and time consuming.
Conventional welding helmets incorporate a horizontally extending hinge mechanism rotatively securing the face plate to the front opening of the helmet. The bulk of the helmet is adapted to sit upon and around the head of the user, in the nature of a motorcycle, hockey goalie or bobsled-like helmet. The hinge mechanism for the face plate allows the welder/user to lift up the face plate portion of the helmet when he ceases to use the blowtorch or other tool and when the risk of injury has temporary dissipated so that the joint can be inspected without the face mask blocking the line of sight.
Thus, it is believed highly desirable to provide a welding helmet for protection of the top, sides and back of the welder's head and also including a mechanism for protecting the face and the eyes of the welder. Yet, it is desirable for the welder to be able to quickly view the weld and then go back to welding, without manually flipping the face plate, or doing the same by jerking the head. Elimination of the manual flipping up of the face plate each time a weld is sought to be viewed and then flipping the same down into position, can be tedious and, yet, the direct line of sight is important to inspect the weld as is the protection of the eyes, when welding is being done. Thus, a face plate component which is entirely detachable and easily reattachable to the helmet would seem to satisfy the welder's needs. It would allow the welder to operate in the welding mode, with face covered and eyes protected, allow the welder to inspect the weld, as desired, by flipping up (and then back down) after a weld operation is done, and, in addition, it would allow the separation of the mask from the helmet so that the welder can quickly and easily continue to weld, with eyes protected by having the mask held by hand in front of the eyes and, yet, when the weld is needed to be inspected, the welder can easily move the mask aside or more his head to the side, for direct viewing of the weld.
In addition, however, since the present invention contemplates that the welder's hand (at least one) be used for holding the removable face plate, the present invention contemplates that the handle for the same be provided with a V-shaped vertical notch, trough or channel for locating the extension of the welding torch therein so that the welder, while holding the face plate is also simply holding the extension of the welding torch as the latter fits conveniently within the V-shaped channel or trough of the handle. In this manner, the welder can quickly form a weld, looking through the protective face plate, while holding the handle for the same with the welding torch held within the V-shaped groove or channel therein, and, then, for inspection of the weld, the face plate is simply laterally moved away from the eyes and the welder has a clear and direct line of sight to the weld, When further welding is required, the welder can move the face mask and the welding torch back into position, protecting the face and eyes of the same. This simple back and forth of the movement of the detachable face mask i.e., from in front of the eyes during welding to aside during inspection of the weld is far easier and quicker for a welder than the flip up and down of the current integrated masks of welding helmets. Also, as mentioned, the V-shaped channel of the handle of the current invention allows for one hand to be dedicated to the movement of the face plate as the same hand is holding the handle and the welding torch rod-like extension.
In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the handle for the mask is provided with a bendable (yet strong) connection to the base of the face mask so that it can be easily adjusted into a precise orientation (and held there by the secure yet bendable connection). This promotes comfort and ease of use.